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L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O
February 8 - March 13, 2016
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For audiences at Lyric and worldwide, Richard Strauss’s
Der Rosenkavalier
stands high among ultimate experiences one can enjoy
in an opera house. It has absolutely everything –a wonderful story set in 18th-century Vienna, one memorable characterization after
another, lavish sets and costumes, and above all, Strauss’s glorious score that contains some of the most sumptuously beautiful music
ever written.
This opera is about love, and how different generations respond to it. Romance, infatuation, and passion are all essential
to
Der Rosenkavalier
, but it also deals with aging and the end of relationships.
A nostalgic sense of lost youth pervades each scene involving the Marschallin, one
of the most moving characters not just in Strauss, but in any opera in the repertoire.
The themes presented by Strauss and Hofmannsthal, the work’s brilliant librettist,
are all universal, and they speak to us as 21st-century operagoers in a very powerful
way. Balancing the emotional is captivating comedy – not just in the intrigues and
antics of the boorish Baron Ochs, but also in any number of delightful supporting
characters that give this opera such irrepressible vitality.
My love for
Der Rosenkavalier
goes back many years. The performances I heard
growing up in London gave me a deep appreciation of the great traditions of this
opera, one that has always attracted singing actors of extraordinary accomplishment.
The performers you’ll be hearing at Lyric are all in the “royal line” of interpreters
of
Der Rosenkavalier
, and from them all you can expect portrayals that honor the
opera’s illustrious performance history while bringing to it a wonderful energy
and freshness.
The title role marks the eagerly awaited return to our stage of not one but
two acclaimed mezzo-sopranos, each of whom is a great favorite in the world’s
most prestigious companies. Sophie Koch and Alice Coote are particularly closely
associated with Strauss’s Octavian, and how fortunate we are that Lyric audiences
will be able to enjoy both of these remarkable portrayals. Ryan Opera Center
alumna Amanda Majeski, our Marschallin, triumphed in her role debut last
season in Frankfurt. She’s demonstrated extraordinary versatility at Lyric with her recent portrayals in operas of Mozart, Wagner,
and Weinberg. Lyric’s
Rosenkavalier
will also introduce our audience to two other exceptionally gifted artists rapidly establishing
themselves internationally, Mathew Rose (Baron Ochs) and Christina Landshamer (Sophie).
I’m particularly pleased to present the Lyric debut of Edward Gardner, one of the most exciting conductors of our time, whose
recent performances include a
Rosenkavalier
led with great distinction at the Metropolitan Opera. I know Edward’s work best from
his tenure as music director of London’s English National Opera, where he exhibited extraordinary virtuosity in a wide range of
repertoire, from Verdi to Strauss, Janáček, and Britten. His presence on the podium, the elegant designs of Thierry Bosquet, and
our superb cast in a new staging by debuting director Martina Weber, will most certainly result in a glorious production of this
entrancing opera.
Anthony Freud
From the General Director
STEVE LEONARD